The Joint Industry Board (JIB) is encouraging businesses in the electrical contracting sector to upskill their workforce and thus increase their customer base by taking advantage of the JIB’s Skills Development Fund. The Skills Development Fund provides financial assistance for courses for those undertaking further education and training in the electrical industry.
The annual cap of £30,000 in course grants was reached for the previous year, and 1st June marked the start of a new funding year, so contractors, employees and apprentices are encouraged to put in their applications early to ensure funding is still available to them.
The JIB believes the increasing adoption of greener technologies presents contractors with a number of opportunities to upskill and open up their services to new markets.
Recent years have seen interest in solar photovoltaics, electric vehicle charging point installation, sustainable engineering degrees and other low carbon technologies. Contractors are encouraged to consider the skill set of their workforce and see what financial assistance is available for this crucial continuing professional development.
SPL Installations and Hannington-Gilbert & Co Ltd are two companies that have used the Fund to upskill their workforce.
Claire Jackson of SPL Installations said: "At SPL Installations access to the JIB’s Skills Development Fund has been a real benefit to our organisation. Specifically, we were able to apply to the fund and were successful for two of our employees as part of their continuous professional development who embarked on a BSc Quantity Surveying and HNC Construction and the Built Environment: Building Services. This will make a real difference to their careers. I would encourage other JIB member companies to take advantage of the valuable support on offer through the fund.”
Gill Adamson of Hannington-Gilbert & Co Ltd added: "As a JIB member company, we were able to access the JIB Skills Development Fund for financial support with upskilling our workforce. This funding has been of great assistance to train our workforce to the highest standards, and with company support, provides good quality CPD to our team without putting this burden onto the employees. We would encourage all JIB member companies to utilise the benefits available to them.”
The Fund has also helped individuals further their careers when they were struggling to find work:
“I am grateful for the funding from the JIB Skills Development Fund, which enabled me to continue my career progression at a time when it was difficult to find work due to the impact of national lockdown restrictions. Undertaking the Level 4 Award in Design and Verification contributed to my success in securing a permanent employment opportunity.”
“I have benefited from funding from the JIB Skills Development Fund on several occasions. It really has helped in providing financial support at a time when it is very expensive to obtain additional qualifications in the industry. As a result of these qualifications I have secured a new position and wanted to say thank you for this help in my career progression.”
For further information or to download an application form and make sure you take advantage of this funding opportunity, please visit: https://www.jib.org.uk/jib-skills-development-fund